The Triumph of the Betrayed
by A Wise Owl
Summary: SPOILERS FOR AVENGERS: ENDGAME


**SPOILERS FOR ENDGAME**

This is a direct response to Endgame so it is one big spoiler so if you haven't seen it and you don't want to have it spoiled, then please do stop reading.

Really, this is going to spoil everything for you about Endgame so if you haven't seen it, don't read this.

Alright. You are still reading.

I warned you.

**SPOILERS**

* * *

2012

_Oh Norns. Wait…what?_

As Loki was pushing himself to a more dignified position after being smashed by the beneath-him-green-beast, it dawned on him.

His mind finally seemed so clear. He hadn't felt the presence of an outside force in his mind before and yet now, his irises widened in surprise upon understanding that, in fact, it wasn't him who was controlling the minds of others. The sceptre was influencing him; his actions and words appeared to be covered in the haze of hatred towards Thor and the Midgardians and this toxic fog was pushing him out of himself; he wasn't a God of Mischief under its influence, he was the God of Destruction.

Back in his God of Mischief self, Loki heard sounds nearby. Surely, it was the heroes coming for him. So now would be a good idea to come up with a plan of escape so that he wouldn't end up being dragged to Asgard to face Odin and his little, patronising talks about Loki being the most disappointing creature that has ever existed. If only he could get a hand on the Tesseract…

As Loki lifted his gaze to look around for the cube, he noticed that for a while now, he hasn't been alone. All the heroes were assembled and pointing their weapons at him.

So much for trying to escape.

Well, but they should definitely understand who they are dealing with. And so he joked….he used one of the oldest Asgardian proverbs. _Forgive your enemies Nothing annoys them as much. _Of course, he used it in his personal, trickster version: _Pretend to forgive your enemies. Nothing annoys them as much. Secretly, plan a revenge._

Unsurprisingly, the dull mortals weren't amused and as he was ordered to stand up, his so-called brother came to clasp manacles onto his wrists. Well…he could still have some fun with one of his favourite tricks, couldn't he…

When it was once again proven that Thor has absolutely no sense of humour nor temper, Loki found himself gagged. He had to roll eyes upon the sheer stupidity of this situation. Here he was, on the little, useless Midgard, shackled and gagged.

In a lift.

When they finally left the overcrowded, tense, and in his opinion strangely sexual atmosphere of the lift, they were greeted by some old Midgardian man whose short lifespan would surely be over soon. He demanded that Loki be handed over; Thor argued against as Loki should be judged by Odin. Loki didn't even try to stop himself from rolling his eyes; apparently, the most annoying thing ever wasn't Odin but Thor's pompous speeches about the said senile gaga king.

This was getting quite annoying. Loki was standing there, shackled, whilst people around him were arguing about him as if he wasn't there because apparently, everyone wanted to punish him for actions he committed in a foggy state after spending a hell lot of time in an actual seventh circle of hell. Obviously, Loki could never say so as his pride would not permit him to do so and even if he wanted to, he was gagged because his brother is a dickhead.

What a wonderful situation he found himself in. The bitter thing about all of this was that he had found himself in similar situations many times in the past.

However, it might be better for him to be taken to Asgard….in the end, Odin might be overcome by a wave of sentimentalism and judge him with a lenient sentence. Or he might be willing to listen to his reasons this time…

As Loki snapped out of his thoughts, he noticed the chaos around him. He would have smiled if he hadn't been gagged. He was so fond of chaos. He thrived in it. It could develop to his advantage….

….and it did as the actual Tesseract slid across the floor right to his feet. Loki was confused for a split second but then he understood. The mortals. They can't do anything properly.

Without further delay, he picked up the Tesseract and adieu Midgard.

…

Ouch.

Loki might have underestimated the unlimited power of the Tesseract. He seemed to send himself off he knew not where. The power of the Tesseract was real, invincible.

_Oh, the cube. How I missed you._

So, first things first. Loki focused; and the manacles and the gag fell off him.

"There is that."

And now…where was he? Hurtling through the space is fun only when you know where you are going.

The planet around him looked like a…_barren moon. _And he_ failed_.

And it hit him. Odin might let him go; in fact, he had done so once already, Thor might forget about him, the Avengers will soon meet their inevitable deaths but Thanos…Thanos is eternal, invincible, and he will stop at nothing to get what he wants. If only Loki could remember what it was that Thanos was after…

And Loki…Loki knew. But he also knew what to do. He would manipulate this situation to his advantage.

Silently cursing his grandeur armour, Loki sat himself crossed legged on the devoid of life, stony ground and stared intensely at the Tesseract. He saw the true power of the cube and he knew what possibilities he could have should he wield it. It could bend time and space, but it could also show him visions of future.

The latter was what he was interested in now.

And it indeed did show him a vision of future. A bleak yet very unsurprising one. He saw himself being hauled into Asgard, ignored by his father, condemned to spend eternity in the dungeons. He saw himself dying for Thor on Svartalfheim, he saw himself being thrown onto Sakaar and his desperate fight for survival there, which was interrupted by his brother to fight for Asgard. He understood. He understood the emotions his future alternative self was going through and he understood the actions he took. He understood the desperation he was feeling when he was once again face to face with the Mad Titan.

He saw himself die.

And then he saw Thanos win. Loki felt sick.

But then he saw the mortals coming up with clever ways to rewrite their destiny. He understood why he was able to escape with the Tesseract. He watched how the mortals managed to kill all the versions of Thanos and bring back all those loved ones they had lost. And so Loki thought that he should also appear in the vision, he should reunite with Thor. But he didn't. He wasn't there.

And Loki understood.

If he wants to live, he must take his life into his own hands.

He will let the future unfold. Which means that in the span of mere twelve years, he will be rid of Thanos for good. It was the only option.

It was strange for him to think that in order to do so, he must let his other self die. It felt strange to have memories of himself shown to him by the Tesseract without having actually lived through them. But he will cope.

Because he is Loki. He is a survivor.

And most importantly, his current armour is far superior to the one shown to him in the vision. Except the new style of the helmet. It made his hair look nice. He must find the dwarfs to make him such a helmet.

But most importantly, he must find himself. According to his calculations, he had twelve years to wait on the other side of the universe, away from all the drama, to see if the future truly unfolds as the Tesseract showed him. Meanwhile, he could have a bit of fun on his journey of self-discovery.

2024

Loki was lying in a hammock, dressed only in his tight black trousers. He was enjoying the touch of sunshine on his perfectly sculpted body, his flawless abs going up and down as he breathed in and out, his left bicep pulsing as he rested his head in his palm.

He felt peaceful. For the first time in his entire existence, he felt whole. He travelled through places he never knew existed. He discovered a lot of exciting places where he would be coming back for sure. For the last half a year, he settled on a friendly planet full of magicians. They were absolutely taken back by his shape shifting abilities and the spells he could perform. Loki smirked; he never told them that some of those spells were enhanced by the power of the Tesseract which use he perfected over the last decade or so. They thought him to be a god; Loki only concurred that he was one.

But Loki also understood that he was fine. He is clever, mischievous in the best possible way, talented, and self-sufficient. There is no need for him to change into a second Thor.

Especially not after the Tesseract showed him what should happen with Thor. Loki would sometimes take the Tesseract out to watch the scenes of his drunken, fat brother being a failure. It amused him greatly. Especially in comparison with his excellent shape that he would always manage to maintain.

Loki chuckled. He knew what year it was; he knew that Thanos should have been defeated by now. He knew that if he wanted to, it should be safe enough for him to go back to his part of the universe.

Only one question remained: did he want to? Did he want to go back to the places that brought him only defeat and disappointment?

But Loki knew the answer. Despite having had great fun in the last years, he wasn't home. It was needed and it was amusing, but it was this way because there was a concrete time frame in which Loki could allow himself to do two thing: to go wild as well as to heal his mind.

Now it was time to see if the Tesseract showed him the truth.

Loki elegantly stood up and with a quick flick of his hand, he made the Tesseract materialise. He was ready to go.

…

A gentle breeze began playing with Loki's black curls as soon as he set a foot on Midgard. He was still barefoot as he began walking towards the nearby village.

In the vision the Tesseract showed him, Odin said that this was their home. Now Loki wondered if he was included in the picture.

As Loki walked through the village, he would get glances from its inhabitants. He knew they have probably recognised him. A silent but brave _My prince _was whispered behind him.

Loki turned. It was one of the warriors he used to fight with. "Would you tell me where Her Majesty is?"

The warrior nodded towards a small fishing boat. She was alone.

"Thanks." Loki replied but the warrior stopped him by putting his hand onto Loki's shoulders. "You must have a hell of a story to tell, Loki."

"Maybe later." Loki winked and began walking towards the Valkyrie.

When she noticed him, the fishing net fell out of her hands and she stared at him with eyes wide open and the expression of disbelief.

"Loki. Unbelievable. How on Earth are you alive?" Was the first thing she told him.

"You must be the Valkyrie." Loki replied mysteriously.

"Well….daaa. We met on Sakaar….?"

"Yes, I know. I know it happened." Loki answered.

The Valkyrie gave him a long, scrutinising look. She understood that something was a bit off.

"We need a drink." She said as she pointed to her own cottage. Loki nodded and followed her inside.

…

"Wow. So you knew the battle was going to happen but you just decided to get drunk and sunbath instead?"

"And you brought everyone back but me."

"There is a boyfriend of one Midgardian. We haven't brought him back either."

"So it's me and some Midgardian scum. That hurts."

Valkyrie looked at Loki closely.

"It all worked out fine in the end, didn't it? We are all here now. Alive." She said as she sipped her beer.

"I heard that Stark died." Loki said, sipping his glass of red wine with grace.

"Yes. You knew him?"

"Not really. But I liked him." Loki sipped the wine again. "I threw him out of window if I remember correctly.

Valkyrie laughed. "Seriously?"

"Yes." Loki's voice got more serious now. "I am sorry he had to die fighting someone like Thanos."

"We don't always get what we want or deserve. You're the shining example of that." The Valkyrie said.

"Do you mean that I should have gotten my throne or that I deserved to die?" Loki smirked.

"I dunno. Your interpretation I guess." Valkyrie smiled.

"Asgard…New Asgard got what it deserves though." Valkyrie gave Loki a confusing look. "You as its Queen I mean. You're good. So much could have been avoided if anyone just listened to me when I knew before anyone that Thor would be a terrible, terrible king." Loki rolled his eyes.

"I've been the Queen for about a month. Probably not enough time to deem me worthy or unworthy of the throne. Which we don't actually have. The throne is only a…metaphor. Sort of."

"_Officially _you have been the Queen for a month." Loki paused. "Did he actually get that fat?"

Valkyrie gave him a knowing look and they both started to laugh.

"He left with the Guardians. To search for something, I believe." Valkyrie said after a while.

Loki shook his head.

"No. Thor got what he always wanted. A bunch of idiots with whom he can feast and drink all day all night long. He hasn't changed at all. This is how he's always been before Odin banished him."

"Some say he does it because he's still mourning you, you know. That he never got over it. It…it destroyed him." Valkyrie said quietly.

"I should probably go." Loki said suddenly and got up.

"Thor will surely come back soon. Do you want to…"

"No. I need to go now."

"Then I'll tell him you're alive. He needs to know." Valkyrie insisted.

"Apparently, I sacrificed my life for him." Loki waited until Valkyrie nodded in agreement. "Has he even bothered to mention me? To try to bring me back?"

The silence was an answer in itself.

"If he asks, do tell him. But if he doesn't, he doesn't deserve to know." Loki concluded.

After a moment of dilemma, Valkyrie nodded.

As Loki bid his farewell and walked out of the cottage, her voice made him stop.

"I don't think Thor's going to come back anytime soon actually." She paused. "Would that make you want to stay?"

Loki opened his mouth to say something, but in the end he didn't. He gave her an apologetic look.

"Wait. I want to show you something." She said and walked out of the cottage. "I am sure you've got a minute to spare."

"A minute." Loki answered and waked right next to the Valkyrie.

"By the way…are you shirtless to prove a point?" She raised her eyebrows.

Loki chuckled. "Is it working?"

"It might be. Aren't you cold though?" Valkyrie questioned.

"I am a Frost Giant actually. We don't get cold." Loki replied without hesitation or shame.

"Ahh, true. I forgot. But still…it might be distracting…for some." Loki looked around and saw that a part of the Asgardian population was eyeing him….well…let's just say they wouldn't probably eye Thor that way anymore.

"We're here." Valkyrie said.

Loki looked in front of himself and blinked a few times.

Then he made his full, shining armour appear onto himself. He wouldn't stand here half-naked.

In the middle of a small square, there was a small statue of him. With the bendy horns. There was a plaque underneath it and Loki made a step closer to read what it said.

_Loki. _

_The hero of the Battle of Asgard. _

_Prince of Asgard._

_Odinson._

_The rightful king of the Jotunheim._

_God of Mischief._

"So…." Loki cleared his throat. "I really said those words, haven't I?"

"Yes." Valkyrie answered quietly. "Loki, there is always going to be a possibility of reconciliation with your brother. You have done it. Once."

"Now it feels only as a betrayal to me." Loki replied.

"We don't know what Thor is doing now. He might be…" Valkyrie was interrupted.

"It doesn't matter. Time will tell as it always does. But I will not be the one to apologise."

"No one is asking you to." Valkyrie replied and she meant it.

"I really need to go now." Loki said as he just suddenly remembered his resolution.

"Do you? We could use a sorcerer here, you know. Asgardians living on this mortal planet…it can get quite boring. We could use some…eh…advancements."

"I don't do well to live under any authority." Loki smiled.

"The throne is always open for any contenders. Wanna spar?" Valkyrie winked and walked into her own cottage. She stopped after a few steps. "Are you coming so that I can show you your house or not?"

Loki chuckled and shook his head.

Then he followed her.

"You know that in our last fight I won, right?" He conversed as they were walking towards a green, yes, Loki couldn't believe his own eyes, it was actually a green house.

"Well, out of the two of us, who has actual memories and who has only had some weird vision? I won that fight. You ended up tied to my chair."

"People tend to like to tie me up." Loki retorted with a mischievous smile.

Valkyrie rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, if you want to have a fight, I am always ready. I need to spar with someone who could be an actual challenge. Those warriors here are tough…but you know…I am tougher." Valkyrie smirked.

"Get ready to lose then. Again." As Valkyrie was getting ready to object, Loki continued. "Anyway, the vision in the Tesseract was proven to be very accurate, so don't insult it again, please. It is a remarkable cube, actually. The Tesseract. I've grown rather fond of it."

Valkyrie smiled.

"Yes, Loki. We noticed."

* * *

**Anyway…I didn't expect much from Endgame (in terms of Loki) and as I wasn't brave enough to go without Loki spoilers as I did with Infinity War, I was actually quite satisfied with the Loki scene. **

**Anyway, Loki is alive…somewhere….somehow. The whole plot is confusing so it seems that they can pull off basically anything for the Loki show….let's hope for the best.**

**About this one-shot story: Loki seemed actually very much in character to me in that 2012 scene – he was being his mischievous self who can manipulate any situation to his advantage. About the Tesseract…it should be capable of messing up time and space and showing some visions of the future. So…I guess that this story could actually happen. Somehow. About Thor: he was the real disappointment of Endgame for me and unless he has some excellent plan/explanation (which he doesn't) for ignoring the fact he has a brother, he can half-drunken drift off into the universe. Who cares. Valkyrie rocks anyway 😉**

**_"Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much." _– Oscar Wilde**


End file.
